
World Book Day is here! Discover what’s on our Thinkers’ reading lists – and how it’s inspired brilliant B2B marketing
Looking for your next page-turner? You’re in the right place.
To mark World Book Day on 6th March, we sat down with some of our Thinkers to discuss the books that have shaped their approach, sparked new ideas and elevated their work.
Whether you’re after fresh B2B marketing insights or simply a great story, these recommendations are sure to leave a lasting impact – so keep on reading!
Sam, Head of Content
For life, The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera is fantastic; it’s thought provoking and full of moral quandary. The other one I’d recommend is Short Answers to Big Questions by Steven Hawking. That’s a mind blowing read.
For work, I think How Not to Plan by Les Binet and Sarah Carter is essential reading. It’s distilled wisdom that should take decades to acquire, but Binet and Fielding have gone and written it down…so anyone can use it! For practical writing advice, I also enjoy Steven King’s memoir/writer’s manual, On Writing.
Julianna, PR Account Director
I recommend anything by Dolly Alderton! Creativity to me is fiction. Everything I Know About Love is a classic that stays on my bookshelf. Sometimes it’s about not taking yourself too seriously. That’s when my creativity comes back.
You should also pick up Girls That Invest – a book written by an incredibly inspiring woman with whom I had the honour of going to high school with, Simran Kaur. I wish I started investing sooner and had this book on my lap when I got my first corporate job at 20.
Ben, Lead Creative
I’m a bit of a sneaker head and love Nike. I read Shoe Dog (Phil Knight’s memoirs) and I think it’s a brilliant reminder that creating a hugely successful, global brand isn’t a linear process. It’s crazy how much luck/misfortune plays such a role!
For work, I loved reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I really wish I’d read it earlier on in my career – I don’t think I’ve ever said wow so much whilst reading!
Ben Macintyre is my favourite author. I tend to read non-fiction and love history. I think he beautifully blends intelligence, detail and storytelling, and I always feel properly educated after reading his work.
Ros, Digital Media Director
Richard Shotton’s The Choice Factory is a top pick for me. It explores the human psyche and its impact on marketing and advertising, reminding us in B2B that we can’t ignore the human factor.
How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp is also a must for any marketer. It offers real life examples and makes you question why and how we can deploy different marketing activities – and ensure we’re using them for the right result. If you’re looking for the latest B2B advice, Antonia Wade’s Transforming the B2B Buyer Journey is great.
Jo, PR Director
50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive by behavioural science guru Robert Cialidini is great. It explains key marketing concepts in simple terms, such as why brand names should be easy to say, and why a new, more expensive product can often lead to an uptick in sales.
I’ve got three favourite authors. Brett Easton Ellis for his understanding of consumer culture, David Sedaris for how he is totally himself and Amy Hemple for her short stories. While on the surface they’re about banal events, they’re really powerful and haunting. I recommend her collection The Dog in the Marriage.
Charlie, PPC Manager
It’s very classic but reading David Copperfield when I was younger really left an impression on me. As well as becoming slightly obsessed with walking the same London streets as Dickens and his eccentric characters, there’s a real kindness in that book.
A somewhat different experience was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. The long, rambling discussions about the quality of being engaged in something, however seemingly trivial, really stuck with me.
Fred, Copywriter
For the sheer stylishness of her writing, I recommend Hilary Mantel. The way she could drop these refined, carve-it-in-stone-perfect passages, but was just as skillful at finding three brutally efficient words that could create approximately 27 new layers of meaning…
I would say there’s so much to learn from her about writing, but that’s a bit like saying there’s lots to learn from Picasso about art, or from Messi about football. You can pick up the odd trick or two; you can’t pick up genius.
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